What’s the rush?

I call them “pencil reeds.” That’s because they grow sticking straight up out of the water like, well, pencils. When I was a kid, my dad called them reeds. On the lake where we vacationed, he would row us through a patch of them and let each of us pluck one to trail in the water.

I now know they aren’t reeds at all, but rushes. I also know they hold fish. If I’m fishing on an unfamiliar lake and see “pencil reeds” along a stretch of shoreline, or better yet, away from shore, that’s a place I’m going to try. They grow in shallow water, but bass, panfish and sometimes northern pike haunt them regularly.

Hardstem and softstem bulrushes are common here in northern Wisconsin, and in fact there’s a bed of what I believe to be hardstem right next to our pier. In fact, by mid- summer, they grow up between the pier boards and I need to give them a haircut. Some people along our shoreline have dug the rushes out to expose the sand bottom for swimming.  I’ve mainly left them along because of the shelter they provide for young fish; I often see schools of perch and smallmouth bass fry in “our” rush beds.

These rush beds typically aren’t too dense, so when fishing one is tempted to cast a lure deep into them to tempt a big fish holding in the cover. When I try it, I usually regret it. On the retrieve a treble hook is all but sure to snag a rush, and it’s difficult to pull it out of the tough, fibrous stalk. That means paddling or trolling-motoring over to extract the lure by hand.

Do  “pencil reeds” grow on your lake? If so, test them for their fish-holding potential. And note that snorkeling through them or along a bed’s edges can bring you lots of fish sightings.